Maybe he stopped short of cabanas on South Beach, but for Bonner, his new four-year Spurs deal — believed to be worth $16 million — was celebration enough. After four years in San Antonio, Bonner said his first choice when he became a free agent this summer was to stay put, and general manager R.C. Buford said bringing him back was a top priority.

Both sides just had to wait until the NBA's free-agent dominos started to fall, starting with mega-prize LeBron James.

“Matt was just next,” Buford said in a deadpan perhaps inspired by his newest signee, “right after LeBron.”

Even if Bonner's profile isn't James-like — he averaged 7.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game last season — his production and efficiency have been quietly superb. Bonner, a floor-stretching 6-foot-10 sharpshooter who made $3.2 million last season, ranks among the NBA's leaders in plus/minus rating, which measures how a team performs while the player is on the floor.

In 2008-09, Bonner led his team in that category, with the Spurs outscoring their opponents by an average of .175 points per minute with Bonner in action. Last season, Bonner's plus/minus average improved to .180. Among the Spurs, only Manu Ginobili (.181) had a higher figure.

“That shows a strong indication of not only how our team plays with him,” Buford said, “but also how our coaches value him.”

Buford said that impact — coupled with the fact that perimeter shooting big men form a “very limited talent pool” in the NBA — made re-signing Bonner a no-brainer.

In the end, though, the transaction lacked the drama of James' made-for-TV “Decision.” This, despite the fact that Bonner joked his one-hour special had been aired at 1 a.m. on New Hampshire public access, “after Knitters' Corner and before the Penacook town parade.”

On a more serious note, Bonner called waiting for his free-agent fate to be determined “gut-wrenching,” with his biggest concern being not wanting to uproot his wife and two dogs from their South Texas comfort zone.

“Right away, I wanted to come back,” Bonner said. “But you have to fight that and let the process play out.”

As for his famously modest wheels? Bonner said he still has no plans to trade them in.

“They stopped producing Pontiac Grand Prixs, so it's now a classic,” Bonner said. “Keep that in mind the next time you want to make fun of me.”